Russia is also officially known as the Russian Federation. It’s the largest country in the world with the total area of about 17 million square kilometers. Russia is situated in Europe and in Asia. It is washed by 12 seas. Russia borders on Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia and North Korea. It also has a sea border with Japan and the United States. The population of Russia is about 142 million people. It’s the ninth most populous nation in the world. The capital of the country is Moscow.

Russia has a great variety of landscapes. There are plains and forests, highlands and deserts, tundra and taiga. There are lots of mountains and over two million rivers in the country. The main ones are the Volga, which is the longest river in Europe, the Ob, the Yenisei and the Lena. Russia’s lakes contain one-quarter of the world’s fresh water. The deepest and the purest lake Baikal is situated in Russia.

Russia is a highly developed industrial country. It has the world’s largest reserves of mineral and energy resources. The country is rich in oil, coal, iron ore, natural gas, copper, nickel and other mineral resources. Despite the economic problems that Russia is facing nowadays, the country remains one of the leading countries in the world.

Russia is a parliamentary republic with the President being the Head of the State. The legislative powers are exercised by the Duma.

Russia is a country of unique culture. Its largest and most beautiful cities are Moscow and St. Petersburg where one can find numerous museums, parks, theatres, monuments, churches and lots of other interesting places.